Football is back, baby.
Along with the good graces of football returning, there are always bad things that come with it though.
The Houston Texans begin their 2023 season 0-1 as they fall to the Baltimore Ravens 25-9. On paper, it seems like a bad blowout. It might be, but fuck your opinion. This is my blog, bitch. I saw some good things and that’s where we begin.
The Good
The people out there saying C.J. Stroud had a bad rookie debut are just straight up hating. Stroud had a solid performance against a good Ravens defense with a beat up offensive line. He went 28/44 with 242 passing yards, 4 rushes for 20 rushing yards, with a 78.0 QB rating.
What stands out the most is that he didn’t make any egregious mistakes that other rookies would make. He played safe, made smart accurate throws, and overall did the best he could. What more do you need from a debut. Stroud will improve on this solid debut.
Another stand out performance was the defensive unit. This defense was swarming and making plays. They for sure kept the struggling offense in the game for a bit. Will Anderson Jr. and Jonathan Greenard are a wrecking crew, Denzel Perryman is a sicko, Steven Nelson and Derek Stingley Jr. are a force, and Jalen Pitre (God willing he is okay) looked like a true captain on defense.
Lots of other great things. Moral of the story is that Defense looks to have a great season and what a way to start.
The Bad
Disclaimer: this is not doom and gloom for the entire season. This is simply criticisms I have while watching Week 1 from my couch, 6 beers deep.
First and foremost, this was not the OC debut that Bobby Slowik needed. Slowik made some head scratching calls in some crucial moments. Drive and vibe killers, bad 4th down plays, and not utilizing the tight ends and run game efficiently. Some tough moments for sure. He is a smart man and I expect him to improve, but some of that needs to be cleaned up.
Perhaps this can fall under the same umbrella as bad play calling and scheme, but receivers can do better. This group is young and inexperienced, but separation needs to be better.
Bitching aside, I have faith both these things will be better going forward!
The Ugly
Football doesn’t just bring happiness. It also brings fucking bullshit. Sometimes things happen outside of your team’s control and you just have to sit there and take it like a good boy.
The refs were running wild. Ticky tacky calls, insane stoppages, and overall just not even being a real referee crew. I swear to God, I’ve never seen these guys before. Also, every time they tried to explain what was happening, they couldn’t even form complete sentences like they didn’t even know what was going on. They should be investigated by the NFL. They are the Bishop Sycamore of NFL referees.
On top of that bullshit, The Texans suffered some key injuries that swayed the game significantly. George Fant and Jalen Pitre both left the game early. Pitre was showing why he is a team captain, flying around making plays and Fant is now included to a list of already injured offensive linemen. As of now, there is no word if they will each miss time or not. The hope is that they will both be okay and come back soon.
Onward
0-1. Whatever, dude. The Houston Texans did what they could on the road, against a good Baltimore Ravens team. The good included bright spots that will look to become keys this season. The bad can be polished as the coaching staff gets more acclimated. The ugly is just fucking bullshit that life hand delivers sometimes. Overall, not a terrible showing from the Texans.
Be sure to watch our full thoughts here.
Next week, the Houston Texans host the 0-1 Indianapolis Colts for their home opener. It’ll be fun to watch how they’ve improved a week later against a lesser team. Maybe 1-1 is on the way.
Watch Football.
